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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · net · trunk · bay · sharp · present

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. net — in sport
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. last — finally
  6. sharp — clever
  7. present — there
  8. net — after costs
  9. last — to go on
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. present — a gift
  16. net — for catching
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com